Tropical storm in Mexico could bring heavy rainfall to Arizona this week

By KTAR.com | August 8, 2016 at 1:01 pmUPDATED: August 8, 2016 at 9:42 pm

(David Wallace/The Arizona Republic via AP)

PHOENIX — Arizona could be in for another round of heavy rainfall this week courtesy of a tropical storm moving through Mexico.

Tropical Storm Javier — at one point believed to have enough energy to turn into a hurricane — is expected to hit the southern tip of Baja California on Monday. The storm’s path will take it up the peninsula and likely funnel some rainy weather into Arizona by late Tuesday night.

“The combination of excessive moisture and maybe some dynamics from this cold front could lead to a potential of several inches of rain (from) Flagstaff down to the southern border,” Hector Vasquez with the National Weather Service said.

“When you get some excessive moisture — which only happens a few times during the summer with moisture levels this high – even small storms can produce one to two inches of rain,” Vasquez said of this week’s expected Javier-caused storms. “Flash flooding is a possibility.”

The weather service is unsure of exactly how much rain will fall or where.

“It’s pretty rare that some place gets more than two or three inches down here in the Valley,” Mark O’Malley, another meteorologist with the weather service, said. “That would be a really excessive case.”

The incoming weather is expected to drop temperatures. The national weather service forecast is calling for a high in Phoenix of 100 degrees on Tuesday and 95 degrees on Wednesday.

The storm will be short-lived, though. Rain clouds will likely move out of the area by Thursday and highs will climb back to the 105-degree range by the weekend.